Crawford, who was acquired by the Reds in the Alfredo Simon deal, spent the first half of the season on the DL before debuting with High-A Daytona. He has pitched in two games there, posting a 8.44 ERA over 5.1 innings.

Crawford was selected by the Tigers in the first round of the 2013 draft. In his first full season of minor league ball, Crawford went 8-3 with a 2.85 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 85:50 K:BB ratio in 123 innings for Low-A West Michigan. The 23-year-old righty has a fastball that reaches the mid-to-upper 90s, but he still needs to improve his changeup and curveball. His control is also an issue after posting a 3.7 BB/9 with the Whitecaps last season. He was considered one of the best pitching prospects of the 2013 draft class when selected by the Tigers, but Crawford has a lot to prove before receiving legitimate consideration from a big league role. Traded to the Reds in December, Crawford figures to begin 2015 at High-A, while he could move through the Reds' system more rapidly with a shift into the bullpen.

2014

The Tigers selected Crawford with the 20th overall pick of the 2013 draft. He has a strong frame (6-foot-1, 205 pounds), raw arm strength and electric stuff. His fastball routinely sits in the low-to-mid 90s with the ability to reach 97 mph, and he sports a swing-and-miss slider that could develop into a plus pitch. While his delivery creates some natural deception, there’s concern the uneven delivery could lead to command issues. At 22, Crawford is further along than many of Detroit’s recent draft picks on the mound. Some scouts see him as a better fit out of the bullpen. While a conversion to the bullpen would expedite Crawford's arrival to the big leagues, the Tigers appear committed to giving him a long look as a starting pitcher in the minors. He’s likely a couple of years away from making an impact in the majors, but owners in deep keeper leagues will want to put Crawford on their radar to see if he can develop into a mid-rotation starter.